Material treated with celullose derivatives



ran srrarasgagsnr OFFICE.

JOSEPH J. BYERS, 0F BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 PRODUCTS SYNDI- CATE, INQ, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

MATERIAL TREATED WITH CELULLOSE DERIVATIVES.

11:0 Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known-that I, JOSEPH J. BYERS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brookline, county of Norfolk, State of Massachusetts, (whose post-oflice address is 26 Broad street, Boston,Massachusetts,) have invented Improvements inMaterials Treated with Cellulose Derivatives, ofwhicli the following description is a specification.

This invention relates to products obtained by the treatment of certain materials with cellulose derivatives, the object being to impart to such products certain desirable qualities. Y

The invention will be best understood by reference to the following description, which illustrates by way of example one specific product embodying the invention, while its scope will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention may be embodied in a great variety of materials, but preferably normally" permeable or penetrable materials, and especially materials of a fibrous nature, such for example as textile fabrics or leather. By Way of illustrating the invention, I hereinafter describe its embodiment in leather. This may be vegetable-tanned leather, chrome-tanned leather, or leather prepared by any other process or treatment. I have taken chrome-tanned leather as an illustration of the basis of my product, since this material, being ordinarily un: suited for sole leather because of its porosity and lack of body, can be converted, by my invention, into a product suitable for soles. It is to be nderstood, however, that this application of the'invention is merely illustrative and that the invention may be embodied in other leathers and in a great variety of materials.

The product is preferably produced by treating the basic material with al cementlike substance consisting of or including a cellulose derivative in solution together with a non-oxidizing oil. This cement-like substance, comprising a cellulose derivative and a non-oxidizing oil, will hereinafter be referred to as cement. The best results are obtained by thoroughly impregnating the material with the cement.

The materials composing the cement, and the proportions in which they are mixed,

- may be varied within wide limits. A suitable cement, for example, may be prepared Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 6, 1920.

Application filed January 10, 1917. Serial No. 141,664.

oil in the proportion of eight ounces to one pound of the cellulose.

The material will preferably be immersed in a bath composed of the cement in order to secure its impregnation with the latter. For example, a bath may be prepared of sufiicient volume in proportion to the mass of the material to be treated to maintain the material immersed for the required time thoroughly to impregnate it, and this without impairing the fluidity or effectiveness of the cement. employed for the bath will preferably be closed, in order to preclude any substantial evaporation of the solvent during the treatment of the material, and said tank or receptacle will also preferably be provided with suitably controlled heatlng means, so as to maintain the bath at a suitable temperature.

' The bath should be maintained at atemperature above the normal temperature of the ir, but below that which would rapidly evaporate the solvent or impair the qualities of the material to be treated. In treating leather witn a cement constituted as described and containing the stated amount of castor-oil, the temperature should preferably be less than 160 F. Good results are had from temperatures varying from 125 F. to 130 F.

Porous materials such as leather, usually contain more or less hygroscopic moisture. To facilitate the impregnation of the material with the cement, it is preferable to remove substantially all water and hygro- The tank or other receptacle scopic moisture from the material before its In the case of sole leather, for example, the

leather may be hung or spread over night in a drying room or drying oven at a temperature of from 120 to 150 F. In the case of some textile fabrics or thin sheet materials, the material may be prepared for immersion by passing the same slowly through a drying room or drying apparatus.

Preferably also the material should be handled and the treatment carried out in a room where the air has a low humidity, so that in passing from the drying operation to the immersion, the material may have no opportunity to absorb or collect any substantial or detrimental amount of moisture.

By expelling substantially all of the moisture in the leather or other material and immersing it while in a dr state, the permeation or impregnation o the material is facilitated, and it is possible to impregnate the entire mass with the cement.

With the material dried as described, it may be immediately plunged into the bath and there maintained immersed in the presence of heat for a long enough period thoroughly to impregnate it with the cement.

The period during which the immersion is continued will vary with the material and its thickness. In the case of some thin, permeable sheet material, a few minutes will sometimes be sufficient, while inthe case of sole leather, for-example, from several minutes to several hours may be required, according to its thickness. The immersion should be continued for a period sufficiently prolonged, to impregnate the material throughout. In the presence of heat and immersed in the solution, the material soon becomes impregnated with the cement.

After removing the material from the bath, it may be dried. The effect of this is apparently to unite the fibers or particles into a homogeneous mass, leaving the oil sealed in the particles or fiber and protected by the cement which, as I believe, incases them and binds them together throughout. The material treated by this method is thoroughly impregnated throughout as distinguished from a mere surface coating or a coating which has a mere anchorage or impregnation of limited depth.

Leather treated by this method acquires the property of repelling water, has great durability and density and a high degree of flexibility. Its water-repellent propertles and flexibility, moreover, are long continuin which I attribute to the fact that the 011 which is sealed into the individual fiber or 2 particles by the cement, can not be Washed out by exposure to moisture. When ordinary leather has become wet and is thereafter dried by exposure to heat, it loses its softness and flexibility and becomes dry and hard and cracks very readily. This is largely due to the fact that the oil, grease leather and in or soap contained in the leather has been in part washed out by the wetting of the part driven out by the subsequent application of heat for drying the I leather. Leather treated by my present method and which has become damp can be readily dried by the application of heat without becoming hard or stiff and without losing its flexibilty and water-repellent properties, which I also attribute to the fact that the oil is sealed into the individual fibers or particles by the cement and can not be driven out by the heat used to dry the leather.

It will thus be seen that leather treated by my present method appears to have an elasticity or flexibility imparted by the oil, which may be termed an oil-flexed property, which is substantially permanent, while the oil commingled with the cement throughout the body gives it a high degree of permanent flexibility and water-repellent property.

Before being thoroughly dried, thematerial, if desired, may be subjected to some action which will condense and compact the cement impregnated mass. While this step may be omitted and a useful product still produced, a superior product may be produced by subjecting it to pressure, preferably in the presence of heat, before completely drying. If it is desired to compact the cement impregnated material, the latter, after being removed from the bath, may be subjected to one or more pressing operations tending to press and bind the fiber mor closely together. This pressing operation may be carried out in any desired manner, as for example, by subjecting the material to direct pressure between heated presser members, such as fiat plates, or between presser rolls; but the direct pressure between flat plates in a stationary press, so constructed that the plates.will exert a substantially continued pressure, simultaneously on all parts of the material, or a considerable area thereof, for a more or less prolonged interval, or until the cement is set, .will in general be found more satisfactory. The pressure will preferably be yieldingly adjustable. I

In the case of some materials, as for example, in the case of sole leather, a eater compactness may be secured by allowing the material partly to dry after removal from the bath, before compacting it. cases the leather or other material, after first having the excess of cement removed from its surface and after having been partly dried, the drying "being carrled far enough to set the cement at or near the surface, may then be compressed between rolls or by any other suitablemeans. After being passed through a suitable number of compressing operations, the compressed, ce-

In such oughly dried.

mama:

The cement-impregnated material may, if desired, be coated with one or. more coatings of the cement" solution or with any other suitable solution of a cellulose derivative, either for the purpose of finishing the surface, or for any other purpose, for example to add to itswater-repellent qualities. For example, to surface-coat cement-impregnated leather, the latter after having been impregnated, compressed and dried, may then be surface-coated with a cement solution. This solution by way of illustration may be similar to that. composing the bath. With the coating partly dried, it may then be run between hot yielding'rolls, or pressed between hot plates, and this operation may be repeated as many times as may be desired. It is found that leather which has been treated by my process, for example, leather used for soles, will burnish to the same high degree as any other. leather, or take quite as perfect a finish upon its surface or its edge when treated by any usual burnishing or finishing process. Furthermore it holds its finish.

The product of this process is a cement and oil-impregnated body, which, in the case of leather or other fibrous material, is characterized throughout by a fibrous, cellular structure, the size and number of the aircells depending in part on the extent to which the condensing process and impregnation have been carried out. That is to say, the product, while water-repellent, may be given some degree of porosity, thereby imparting to. it an advantage for certain purposes over other. non-porous, water-repellent or waterproof materials, such, for example,

. as rubber. Apparently the fibers become incased with the cement after the leather has been immersed, without necessarily wholly filling the interstices between the fibers or wholly expelling the air from within the same. In the ease of leather the product is characterized by greater toughness, compactness and durability than the original leather before treatment, besides being substantially and permanently water-repellent. While tougher and more durable, it is highly flexible because of the oil-containing, cement-filled, cement-coated fibers.

, It will thus be seen that by my process durability, toughness, compactness and water-repellent qualities may be imparted to cheap or inferior grades of leather, so as to make them available for uses and purposes not heretofore possible, and as equal or better substitutes for leather of more expensive grades. Thus, in the case ofchrome-tanned leather, the normally porous and loose structure of the leather becomes so charged with the cement, that the latterhas its fibrous structure compacted into a homogeneous cement-bound, fibrous body. The cement adds to the initial strength of the union of the fibers, but because of the oil still leaves the product flexible. The cement also adds resiliency. When treated by my process,

however, it acquires these qualities, thus rendering it applicable to uses for which these qualities are required, and this in preference to other leathers heretofore used for these same purposes.

The treatment of leather or textile material by my processassists in preserving the same. When employed for footwear, it resists the rotting action which, in the case of ordinary leather, is due in part to the presence of ammonia in the perspiration from the foot. It has been found that in some cases it is preferable to subject leather to a degreasing process, to remove from the leather any excessive or undesirable oil or grease, before treating the leather by my process. Any usual and well-known degreasing process may be employed for this purpose, such for instance as immersing the leather for the necessary length of time in a bath of naphtha, benzin or other suitable agent. In the case of textile fabrics the best results are obtained with unsized materials.

I do not herein claim the described method of producing the product. herein disclosed, the method being claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 92,320, filed April 19, 1916.

While I have herein described one example of my improved products and the detailed steps for producing the same, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details herein given, or any of them, but may be varied within wide limits without exceeding the truescope of the invention, which is definitely set forth by the claims.

Claims:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a.

fibrous structure compacted into a homo geneous cement-bound body.

4:. As a new article of manufacture, a cement-impregnated leather, the minute fibers of which are oil-flexed and united throughout into a homogeneous mass by a cement containing a cellulose derivative and nonoxdizing oil, the said leather being waterrepellent and itself substantially free from moisture.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a water-repellent leather impregnated throughout with cement containing a cellulose derivative and non-oxidizing oil and having its fibers substantially free from moisture and charged with said cement and incased with the same.

- 6. As a new article of manufacture, a water-repellent fibrous material impregnated throughout with cement containing a cellulose derivative and non-oxidizing oil, and consisting of initially united fibers charged with said cement and incased with the same.

7. As a new article of manufacture, leather which has been degreased and then impregnated throughout with 'a cement which includes a cellulose derivative and a non-oxidizing oil.

8. As a new article of manufacture, leather which has been dried and then impregnated throughout with a cement which includes a non-oxidizing oil and a cellulose derivative.

9. As a new article of manufacture, leather which has been degreased and then impregnated throughout with a cement which includes a cellulose derivative and a non-0X- idizing oil, and having its structure compacted into a homogeneous cement-bound body.

10. As a new article of manufacture, leather or other fibrous material which has been dried and then impregnated throughout with. a cement which includes soluble nitro-cellulose and a non-oxidizing oil.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOSEPH J. BYERS. 

